Success is about mastering knowledge

Why is success so difficult? It's because success depends chiefly on mastering strategic and useful knowledge. (This is one area that Google has not yet covered; this being said, one should not underestimate these guys -- they're probably working on it as we speak!).

Generally speaking, the following lists the main obstacles to overcome for mastering knowledge:

1. Decision to read books (most people don't read non-fiction books that provide useful and relevant knowledge).
2. People who read books, don't always understand what the author means exactly.
3. People who understand don't create maps and diagrams (or any other user-friendly knowledge tool or performance aid) that would allow them to apply the principles and knowledge to the specific situations and challenges in their lives.
4. Those who apply the principles and knowledge, don't keep track of the results they get and don't document the way they conduct experiments.
5. Those who keep track of results, don't interpret them correctly.
6. Those who interpret correctly, don't integrate the findings and new knowledge into their habitual way of thinking, evaluating and decision-making.

Whether one is a careerist or an entrepreneur, the above process applies.

As we can see from the description of the six steps, the "journey" to success looks very much like a scientific experiment: there is method, measurement and mindfulness. Yes, a bit of money helps too, but it is not critical to success.

We can also see that if success is a journey, then that journey requires a journal.

Only by keeping a journal (of ideas, observations, diagrams, tips, encounters, experiences, thoughts, etc.) can one person continually improve the working of his/her mind.

Leonardo Da Vinci kept a journal, so did Pablo Picasso (well, more like a sketch book) and Charles Darwin.

In future postings, we'll explore how a person can proceed from step 1 to step 6.